35 illegals living under Teluk Likas bridge rounded up
KOTA KINABALU: The State Immigration Department has detained 35 illegal immigrants that have been found living under the Teluk Likas Bridge here for the past four months. New State Immigration Department Director, Mohammad Mentek said that the immigrants were rounded by a team of 16 Immigration officers and 12 Marine Police personnel in a joint operation at around 9am yesterday.
Among the immigrants, aged between one and 58 years old, four of them were male adults, 12 female adults, 10 male and nine female children. The operation was conducted following an investigation by the Immigration Department together with a village chief from Kampung Bango-Bango, Semporna to identify the immigrants on Thursday.
“The problem as to why action could not be taken earlier is because of communication problems since they don’t speak Malay, so that’s why we ask for the assistance of a village chief from Kampung Bango-Bango to identify them,” Mohammad said to reporters at a press conference on Saturday.
It was learned that the immigrants were brought in from Bongao in the southern Philippines by a local with the promise of being given jobs as fishermen but were somehow left to live under the bridge while waiting for the jobs.
According to Mohammad, the immigrants caught the attention of passing motorists because they conducted their daily chores under the bridge such as drying their laundry on the road, cooking and living on shellfish which had become an eyesore.
It was learned that City Hall had received numerous reports on the presence of these immigrants, which they in turn referred to the Immigration Department for further action.
“I was made to understand that there were only seven of them at first in April but by the end of August, the number has increased from seven to 35,” he said.
The immigrants were detained under Immigration Act 1959/63 Section 6 (1) (c) for illegal entry without valid documents. The detainees have since been transferred to the temporary detention centre in Papar and the Immigration Department is now arranging for their deportation.
“The deportation is to carried out under humanitarian consideration because there are children among the detained,” he said.
Mohammad also said that the local person who reportedly brought in the immigrants has been identified and a police report would be lodged against him soon. “I urge the local person to surrender himself to the police for further investigation,” he said.
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Sesiapa yang membawa masuk mereka ini patut disumbat dalam penjara. Bukan hanya tindakan ini bagaikan penipuan dan juga sejenis perdagangan manusia, malah menyebabkan peningkatan PATI di negeri kita.
BalasPadamOMG! I totally hate them to death.
BalasPadamNasib baik pihak berkuasa berjaya menemui mereka2 itu di bawah jambatan. Kalau tidak, tempat tersebut bukan bernama JAMBATAN tapi rumah apung.
BalasPadamEww. KK offers you more. Some even holding plastic bags with ' gums '. The most hated part is, when they begging you like hell. When you refuse, they will spit on you.
BalasPadampihak yang membawa PATI masuk ke negara ini perlu dikenakan tindakan tegas.
BalasPadamSini bukan salah PATI ini, tapi yang telah merancang pekerjaan untuk semua mereka(PATI) tanpa dokumen yang sah yang patut untuk kita tahan dan benteras, kerana jika mereka ini telah ditahan maka tidak ada lagi PATI datang dengan seludup masuk. Untuk menggurangkan kedatangan PATI lagi, tangkap dahul orang yang merancang keamsukkan mereka.
BalasPadammereka yang membawa masuk PATI kedalam negara ini perlu ditangkap. tindakan mereka amat tidak bertanggungjawab.
BalasPadamauthorities must find the person who responsible for bringing them into Malaysia illegally. authorities should also investigate how these immigrants enter our country easily.
BalasPadamthat's why the problems of illegal immigrants in Malaysia especially Sabah is very difficult to be solved.
BalasPadamMemang tidak dinafikan bahawa ada segelintir rakyat Sabah yang membawa masuk mereka2 ini tuk menawarkan kerja.Namun bila sudah mereka datang ke sini, mereka ditinggalkan begitu saja.
BalasPadamPlease send them back to their belongings.
BalasPadam